


Violets Are...

by aptasi



Category: Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
Genre: Crude Humor, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Heckling, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, Renaissance, Romance, Sweet, Traditions, Wedding, Wedding Fluff, Wedding Night
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:14:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28394442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aptasi/pseuds/aptasi
Summary: Thom, Moiraine, and Wedding Traditions.
Relationships: Moiraine Damodred/Thom Merrilin
Comments: 14
Kudos: 7





	Violets Are...

**Author's Note:**

> In one of my past lives I was a medieval/renaissance history major. Some of the cultural details here are borrowed from mostly mid to late renaissance England, or from modern misinterpretations thereof. My opinions on this stuff are of a “how much time have you got” variety.

Thom was actually married. 

It was unbelievable. 

Apparently, the villagers were equally incredulous because even though all Moiraine and Thom had technically done was complete a basic ceremony then sit down at the inn to eat, the event had expanded into a full scale reception. Dancing, food, drink, even music. Not very good music, but Thom wasn’t about to provide the entertainment while being the groom. 

Groom. Married. To Moiraine. Blessed light! 

He was just sitting down from dancing with his bride, which had been a transcendent experience, even though these specific farmfolk couldn’t keep a beat. In particular, it had been lovely that, given their new status, Moiraine was willing to dance closer than the traditional Cairhienin forearm-length apart. 

“Thank you for the dance.” Moiraine said serenely, as they settled back into their seats, side by side at what had become the high table at this adorable little improvised backwater banquet hall. 

Right, she had asked him for the dance. The woman was terrifyingly perfect sometimes when she wasn’t perfectly terrifying. “I only wish my knee was better so I could keep that up all night.” 

She arched a perfectly controlled eyebrow at him. “Well, that is how long I think these folks intend to detain us.” 

Thom shrugged. “We’re the most interesting thing to be by in a while. These people will probably keep us here half the night if we let them.”

“Or?” Moiraine prompted.

“Or we could give them all the slip and go upstairs.”

Moiraine smirked. Smirks were always interesting on her because with her face being usually so controlled it was very obvious that they were intentional. 

“You don't have to. We could stay at the party and…”

“Are you asking if I want to go and bed you now?" Moiraine's voice was pitched very low, and he was pretty sure he’d seen her do that little movement of hers that made her impossible to overhear.

He blushed anyway.

"Because the answer is yes if so." Moiraine whispered,"With one condition."

"Anything."

"If I know this part of the world there will be a lot of… colorful suggestions shouted at us when we stand up, which I do not find as inspiring as they will likely expect. So once we decide, we need to move quickly and decisively, so that it is not as rewarding to follow us."

"You think they'll actually do that? We are strangers."

"I spent half the morning with the local wise woman explaining things to me." Moiraine's face kept on in the smooth Aes Sedai modality. "That I already knew but apparently should not, absent my mother. And I expect the good woman will be quite put out if I fail to bleed on something."

Thom had tried to take a sip of weak ale to steady himself but when he heard that the liquid went up his nose. 

"So I imagine they likely will heckle us also."

"That is." Thom coughed hard. "Absolutely horrifying. We are not cutting you to make a point to these people."

Moiraine shrugged. "You do have that injury from yesterday. We could use your blood off the bandage."

He supposed it was a Warder's job to let his blood be shed and all that. 

"And some day, when you haven't just eaten, I'll explain to you how sun court women manage when their husband would not be understanding."

Thom shuddered. 

"But right now, I would like to go upstairs."

Well he wasn’t arguing with that. “You want to walk straight through?”

“Yes. And do not let them get a rise out of you Thom, or they will be shouting outside the room." Her face was still its usual serene self. 

He snorted. "Ready?"

Her hand grabbed his under the table. "Yes."

"Right then... one, two, three, go!"  
____

The heckling faded off into the distance as Thom charged up the second set of stairs. His knee was bothering him again, but given where he was going he would have climbed up past the clouds. 

Moiraine kept on holding his arm in a queen's grip,regal and calm as she walked, but she shifted the weight arrangement slightly so he could lean on her if he needed to do so. A subtle woman his new wife was, and his heart went nearly out of control at the thought. That shouting a moment ago had not been subtle though. 

Well now that is a very different experience when I'm the subject of it." He remarked "Are you alright my dear?

“I am fine. I merely focused on Matrim Cauthon’s face, when he heard what they were saying to us, and it rather took the edge off.” 

“Still. It’s some kind of flaming thing to yell at a pair of perfect strangers.” 

Moiraine's perfectly steady face inclined up and down. "An interesting cultural process, is it not?"

"If we had been inexperienced." Thom said. "I shudder to think what kind of coupling we would have attempted based on that advice." An overly aggressive one at best and geometrically impossible at worst. 

"I did not know all of the metaphors." Moiraine remarked. "So it was educational in that respect at least. Although some points in the instruction were ambiguous."

He tried to get a good look at Moiraine's face, but it was Aes Sedai smooth. Sometimes he had no idea if she was being deadpan or serious. 

"For example, were the suggestions around milling flour, churning butter, and using leaven intended to be viewed as separate images, or are we meant to be combining them into instructions for producing some kind of dinner roll."

Thom snorted, then coughed, then giggled like a boy. 

Moiraine's otherwise still perfectly moderated face winked at him. "Or is that what goes in the oven?"

The laughter bent him double for a moment but he got a hold of himself. "I thought we agreed you didn't want to bake any bread right now." He managed, wheezing. "So to speak." She'd be using the power to make sure they didn't if he understood her right

"True…" Moiraine said. "But they clearly do not realize that."

"Moiraine, are you making jokes to cover that you're nervous?" Thom said. "That's usually my act."

"I trust you." Moiraine said. "And I have nothing to be nervous about. I have bedded you before, remember?"

He was hardly capable of forgetting that. "But are you nervous anyhow?"

She admitted. "Something is making my heart beat fast." 

You'd never know it by her face. 

"It might be nerves." Moiraine conceded. 

"Want to go inside the room?"

"Yes."  
____

"Oh!" Moiraine said softly.

The entire bed was covered in flowers. Light blues, sky blues, dark blues, royal blues, near purples. Whole flowers with stems still attached mixed in with petals covered the comforter, lending it a sweet smelling ethereal glow. 

"These are for me?"

"Of course." Thom teased. "Who else would they be for?"

"Violets? Moiraine pointed. "Cornflowers, Brunnera," She gestured over them, "Delphiniums, Hyacinths, Baptisia, Love in Mists, Irises..."

Thom nodded. 

"I have not seen such a thing since the Green Man." She looked astonished and vaguely amused. "Where did you find all these this time of year?"

"Well you don't like red so I thought that roses might not be something you'd enjoy."

“Not an answer, Thom”

"You have to leave me some secrets, my dear."

And I do not suppose it occurred to you that the bed being clean, off the ground, and localized in this plane of existence is more than sufficient for me?

"Now that just sounds like letting myself settle for less than my best work." 

Moiraine laughed. 

He touched her shoulder. "You like them?"

"I do." Moiraine ran a hand through his hair. "I do not ever seem to tire of doing this."

He winked. "Good."

Moiraine stepped back and corrected her posture "I also have something for you."

Thom raised his eyebrows.

This…" Moiraine inhaled deeply and then slowly let the breath out. Her face seemed to soften. 

Thom smiled at her. She looked a little nervous, now.

"I have been practicing relaxing myself, so that my emotions show on my face." She explained.

“Practicing?" Thom echoed

“Yes. In front of my reflection. My research on you indicated you tend to gravitate to… expressive women.”

True that he supposed. Especially if she was keying off Morgase. Dina had been dramatic by Cairhienin standards too. 

“I am not very emotionally demonstrative, even when we are alone." Moiraine continued.

She wasn’t wrong. In Tear, it had seemed like she was always fighting to stay serene, but Moiraine was a Damodred and an Aes Sedai. So Thom had figured ahead on Moiraine being a lot less willing to step out of her dignity than out of her dress and had made up his mind ahead of time not to let it bother him. The feedback he did get was enough. She couldn't control her pupils dilating or the rate of her heart completely, and while she did control her breath he could usually tell whether he was making her need to. 

"I thought you might find the lack of feedback from me… less fun." Moiraine continued. 

“Oh I always think you're fun. "He touched her hair along the side of her face. 

She shivered and leaned into it as her eyes widened a little and her mouth came slightly open. Well that was kind of nice. 

"True reaction." Moiraine whispered. "Only no longer suppressed." Her breath caught sharply, when he put his hand on the small of her back, and her hand resting on his sleeve grabbed the cloth. 

Make that especially nice indeed."You know you don't have to do that for me."

"I know." She said. And I am not doing this all the time in public. Walking around with all my feelings visible. That sounds absolutely appalling. But I thought perhaps…" she blushed "While we're lying on flowers, it might be nice not to smother any part of myself."

Thom realized he was just as red in the face as she was and decided to cover what a mess he was by kissing her. 

Moiraine had always been wonderful to kiss, but this time there was a soft nasal sound she was making and light that was really good wasn't it. 

Her posture had lost its rigidity too. Instead of standing regal and dignified as Thom put his hands on her, Moiraine was meeting him.

He had not realized until now that Moiraine fighting herself had bothered him. Somewhere in the back of his mind it made her seem less eager, even when he knew it was her Sun Court and Aes Sedai background, reticence that had been figuratively and sometimes literally beaten into her. Thom still wanted her to pull him in, act like she wanted him not just like she was letting him do what he wanted.

They pushed apart, and Thom looked down at Moiraine. She was breathing hard, in long deep sighs and her forehead had a slight sheen to it. 

"Why… you're sweating my dear."

'I suppose I cannot keep only that back. Do you like me this way?" Moiraine asked. "I swear on my oath I mean every gesture sincerely."

"That depends. Do you like yourself this way?" 

"Yes. I think I do." She sounded a little surprised by that. 

"Then I do, most definitely" he said "And that must have been so difficult for you to trust me this much, my dear."

Moiraine nodded.

"Alright, here's where I'm still getting confused. You are an impressive woman capable of great wonders, but I'm not sure even with that I believe you could learn to let down your guard at will in three days."

‘You are right.” Moiraine admitted “ I started to practice before the rescue.”

"When you did not even know if you would survive?"

"Yes."

"You, woman, have some impressive faith."

"It is not as if the wasted effort would have mattered if I had died." Her face looked angry for a moment, not the overblown wrath of their political battles, but just a weak hint of this shouldn’t be this way. 

He flinched.

"And I did survive, did I not?” She said as her face switched to hopeful. He had never seen that expression so freely shown on her before. 

"You did." He swallowed hard. “So what other expressions does that face of yours make now?”

She sat down on the flowers and held her arms out to him. “I think we should find out.”


End file.
